The Boy Who Became a Doctor
by tooloudturnitdown
Summary: A tiny "twist" on Dave's abusive past. Maybe he wasn't abused by an evil, drunken father but someone who loved him. This love makes Dave blame himself for the suffering brought upon him.


A/N: I have a new theory about Dave being beaten and this just reflects my new theory. It's in first person form to go even further into Dave's head, even though I doubt a lot of girls want to know what goes in there at certain times...  
  
  
I looked at my, now dead, patient. It's amazing. It probably didn't occur to him it that morning when he woke up it would be his last day here on Earth.  
  
"Dave are you going to call it?" Dr. Greene asked me.  
  
"Time of death, 13:43." I closed my eyes. I tried so hard to save him. This was the first patient that actually got to me. Maybe my shield was wearing down. I hope it isn't. My life is mine business. I felt a hand on my shoulder for a small second but the reassuring hand only patted my shoulder. I opened my eyes, took a deep breath, and headed for whatever patient needed me next. I was after all Dr. Dave. I forced a smile and went on my way again as if no one had died under my very hands.  
  
////////////////////  
  
I was so excited! My mom and dad had promised me a brand new bike if I did good in school. After all I was the only 10-year-old that didn't have a bike. I held in my hand my math test that had a brand new A. I had studied very hard all night and I knew they would both be proud of me. The bus stopped and I got off with my backpack and my test.  
  
"Mom! You'll never guess what I got on my test!" I ran to the kitchen and my mom was cutting carrots and other vegetables for our dinner that night.   
  
"Wow Dave! That's wonderful! Go show it to your father, he's in the bedroom." I ran across the house and found my father reading the newspaper.   
  
"Dad look at my test!"  
  
"Good for you Dave." My dad answered not looking up from the paper.  
  
"Look dad! Look!" My dad, annoyed, looked at the test than at me.  
  
"That's great Dave," he went back to reading the newspaper.  
  
"When are we going to get it?"  
  
"Get what?"  
  
"The bike."  
  
"What bike?"  
  
"The bike you promised me!"   
  
My dad looked up and then said seriously, "Sorry Dave we can't afford to buy you a bike right now."  
  
"But you promised!" I ran, with tears in my eyes, to my mom. She would understand.  
  
"Mom! Dad says he can't get the bike for me! He promised!" She stopped cutting.   
  
"Dave," she began softly, " We don't have the money right now to buy you the bike, I'm sorry honey."  
  
"It's not fair! It's not fair." I began to yell hoping to make my mom and dad see how unfair this was. My dad came into the kitchen.  
  
"What's going on in here?" He looked at me yelling and stomping the ground. "Stop Dave!"  
  
"I want my bike!"  
  
"I already told you we can't buy it so stop crying!"  
  
"I want my bike!"  
  
"Lower your voice young man!"  
  
"I want my bike," I yelled. My father's strong hand came in contact with my mouth and slapped me.   
  
"Don't talk back to me," he threatened. I began to cry but I still yelled.   
  
"I want my bike!" I screamed through tears. He raised his hand again and I ran, covering my head. I wasn't paying attention and trapped myself in a corner. I cowered down. My mouth and cheek still burned badly from the smack. "Please don't dad, please."  
  
"Stand up!"  
  
"Please don't dad!" I was crying and trembling.   
  
"Stand up." I wouldn't stand up so he grabbed my wrist and hit my face again. He let me go and I ran to my room. I closed the door, but didn't lock it. My parents hated the door locked. I heard my parents arguing outside. I ran to the bathroom, the only room I could lock without getting in trouble.  
  
"Don't hit my son ever again!"  
  
"He's my son too!"  
  
"You don't punish a child this way!" I huddled on the ground, grabbing my knees. Tears were running down my cheeks. I always was the reason my parents fought. I accidentally got in trouble and one parent would punish me one way and the other punishes me another. Then I would be in my room, punished while my parents would begin to fight. I could never hear them well, but I knew it could only be about me. They never fought when I wasn't in trouble so it had to be me. They were yelling very badly at each other. Always yelling and fighting, why couldn't I be a good child? I heard a scream. My mom! I unlocked the door and ran to the kitchen. I saw my mom holding her hand, crying. Blood was flowing from her hand. I was terrified. Why was she bleeding?  
  
"Dave get in the car!" My dad told me. My mom and dad ran to the car and I was trying to catch up to them. All I could do was be quiet in the back seat. They wouldn't tell me anything. It was as if I wasn't there. We drove fast. My dad was telling my mom to put pressure on it. I have no idea what was going on. My mom was still crying. Blood was on her shirt. We stopped at a huge building. My dad ran out the car with my mom and I got out of the car and followed them. I looked at the building. It was a hospital. I had never been in one. I went inside with my parents but I saw some people bringing a hurt man in a bed that had wheels. They passed in front of me and when they went by, my mom and dad were gone. I couldn't see them anywhere.   
  
"Mom? Dad? Mom! Dad!" I yelled. I could see many people and they were all talking. "Mom! Dad!" I began to cry. How could I find them here? I saw a chair and sat down. I was very tired but I knew my dad would get mad if I didn't look for them. I felt a burning in my face. The place where my dad had punished me still burned, but not much. I closed my eyes and felt a hand on my shoulder. I moved away from the hand, alarmed. It was a nurse. Her face was warm and friendly. She was sitting down next to me.  
  
"Hey, how are you?" she said very quietly. I just nodded. I didn't know this lady. "Where's your mom or dad?" I shrugged.  
  
"I can't find them, my mom was hurt and my dad took her here." I said very quietly, I wasn't sure I could trust her.  
  
"What do you say we find them? Let's try the cafeteria, what's your name little one?"  
  
"Dave."  
  
"Well, don't worry Dave, we'll find them." She smiled and I couldn't help but smile back.   
  
  
In the cafeteria she had bought me a piece of cake. We hadn't found my mom or dad but she left to go look for them. I wanted to go, but she told me to stay here in case they came to eat something. I was enjoying my cake when I heard someone yell.  
  
"Dave! What do you think you are doing?! I was looking everywhere for you! Did you pay for that?! Let's go!" He grabbed my arm very roughly and pulled me out of my seat.   
  
"But dad!"  
  
"You are going to be in so much trouble when we get home!" I didn't want to go home. I wanted to stay here with the nice nurse.  
  
"Excuse me sir!" It was her! "What do you think you are doing with that boy?"  
  
"He's my son." My dad said more calmly. "And you are?"  
  
"Nurse Chamille, Dave and I were looking for you but I bought him some cake."   
  
"I'm so sorry, Dave apologize." He pushed me forward.   
  
"There's no need to-"  
  
"Dave, apologize to the nice lady, NOW."   
  
"I'm sorry Nurse Chamille." I looked down at the floor, my mouth covered in crumbs. I never imagined that my day would end with my mom at the hospital and me getting in trouble with my dad again. I knew I was going to be in a large amount of trouble when I got home. I don't remember very well what happened after I saw the nice lady leave. Everything went by fast. My mom's entire hand was covered in a bandage and we went to the car. My dad kept yelling at me while we drove home. My mom kept telling my dad to stop yelling at me but he did anyway.  
  
"Go to your room now!"  
  
"Dad-"  
  
"Now!" I ran and waited. Waited for something and at the same time nothing. My parents fought again. The yelling was worse this time. I just went under my covers. It was very late. Why wasn't I a good son? I always cause problems, even to that nice nurse.   
  
I was going to be a good son. Never cause problems and be a good student, I wasn't that well in grades. Maybe I could work in the hospital with the nurse. I could be Dr. Dave and always be with the really nice nurse. That way my dad and mom would stop fighting and I would stop getting in trouble. They love me and I'm the reason they fight and punish me. I heard my dad open the door. He went to my bed and kissed me on my forehead. He closed my door and I knew I was a bad son. An awful person and nothing would change that, all I could do now was pretend.  
  
///////////////////////  
  
"Good work Dave." Dr. Greene told me on my way out.  
  
"On what?"  
  
"The patient that died. You did very well, the best I've seen you work. You did all you could."  
  
"Then why do I feel so guilty?" I walked away. I hated to talk about any sad subjects.  
  
"You do what you can, Dave." Dr. Greene had stopped me from leaving. He seemed to love giving this speech to doctors that lost patients.   
  
"Thanks." Now it was just annoying. I opened the doors to leave the ER and go home to my lonely apartment.   
  
"You're a good person Dr. Dave."  
  
'If only it was true.' I headed alone to the dark streets of Chicago. To sleep and wake up the next day and to create more problems again. All I could do now was pretend. I plastered on my smile once again and headed off. The bad son. The awful person. The boy who became a doctor.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Opinions, flames, anything appreciated. It was a bit weird, I know but maybe Dave's father didn't mean to hurt him but only punish him like some parents do, except went a bit over board. But hey, that's only one fan fiction writer's opinion. Should I make it a series or keep it just this simple one chapter piece? E-mail: wildjunglebeast@aol.com  
  
  



End file.
